


vice president knope

by theyellowumbrella



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-13
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-19 07:07:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1460362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyellowumbrella/pseuds/theyellowumbrella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they first meet, they’re eighteen and he’s on a road trip in desperate need of escape from Partridge. [au]</p>
            </blockquote>





	vice president knope

**Author's Note:**

> parks and rec does not, and never will, belong to me and neither do any of the characters or franchises mentioned (not that i think i mentioned any other)

When they first meet, they’re eighteen and he’s on a road trip in desperate need of escape from Partridge.

She’s the Vice President of her school (he knows that because he dropped in unannounced because Pawnee, Indiana is possibly the only town in North America who hasn’t heard about him being impeached) and he’s just some crappy, ex-mayor who can’t face his fears, so he doesn’t think he stands a chance.

When her lecture’s over, she spots him and nods like she knows something’s going on and then returns to her group of friends. Later that day, her and her four closest friends—Ann, Chris, April and Andy, he later learns—approach him.

“Who’re you?” April asks.

“I’m Ben,” he says, stomping on the cigarette butt that he’s just dropped.

“Why are you here?” Ann further questions.

“I’m on a road trip and I figured I should stop by and listen to this lecture,” he says, shrugging as he slides his hands into his pockets. “Which was great, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She smiles sheepishly and cowers behind Ann, who’s leaning against Chris. “I’m—”

“Leslie Knope, I know.” He takes a seat on the closest table, hoping that maybe she’ll talk to him more.

“Stalker,” April mutters.

“Well, Ben Whatever-your-last-name-is—” “It’s Wyatt.” “Okay, Ben Wyatt. It’s been great talking but I have to work on my next debate, so I’ll see you around,” she says, turning away.

He doesn’t tell her that he’s only made the small pit-stop in Indiana for a couple of hours before he hits the road, because he honestly doesn’t think it’ll ever matter.

* * *

 

The next time, it’s purely a coincidence.

He’s twenty-six and fresh out of college and she’s just finished touring Indiana with her best friend Ann Perkins giving speeches about Pawnee and she’s just landed herself a job in the Parks and Recreation department of the government with her friend April from high school.

His friend drags him to a bar and she’s been dragged there too, clearly, by the way she’s clinging to a small Indian man who’s bouncing up and down excitedly despite the fact that it’s closer to Sunday than it is Saturday. He recognises her from that lecture seven years ago but he thinks it’s weird to approach her and tell her that, so instead he slyly slips into the seat beside her and tells her his name is Joe Hudson.

It doesn’t work.

* * *

 

He gets the job without knowing that she works there. He hasn’t forgotten her, really, he hasn’t, but he’s forgotten about her government job. When he first enters the office, he’s surprised to see Leslie, April, Andy and Ann all stationed at some place in the room. It feels weird but also good at the same time. He doesn’t find out until later that day that his new partner Chris is Ann’s boyfriend Chris from high school.

“Ben Wyatt!” Leslie exclaims as soon as she sees his name tag.

“We met in high school! With Ann and April and all the others!”

“You were Vice President of Pawnee High School,” he recounts, smiling at her. “I hate to blemish whatever your opinion of me is, Vice President Knope, but I have to slash your budget.”

He regrets saying that as soon as it’s out because he knows he’s ruined her opinion of him completely. 

* * *

“You were a dork in high school,” Andy says with a childish laugh, throwing a grape into his mouth.

“Yeah, I know, I know.” Ben laughs and smiles at his new friends because they’ve accepted him into their group so easily. “April was wearing a black gown when we met and Andy had on a letterman jacket and Ann... I don’t honestly remember. You and Chris were very quiet a lot of the time.”

Leslie comes out of her office and frowns at Ben. He’s stealing her friends—yes, she knows she sounds like a six-year-old, but still—and they’re letting him!

* * *

He’s all ready to leave Pawnee forever. He’s said his goodbyes to Chris, Andy and Tom with chest bumps that he regrets as soon as it’s over and him and Ron shared a handshake and he made a broken promise to keep in touch with April and Ann—he can already tell it’s going to up broken—and Leslie has actually ordered a cake for the moment he’s out of the door.

She doesn’t like him. She actually kind of hates him, but she doesn’t tell people that. Over the years, he’s always just been the cute guy that came to one of her lectures in their senior year and that met her friends and who complimented her lecture, but then he came and slashed their budget by thirty-five percent and she really doesn’t like him.

He’s clutching his car keys and the picture of him and the Parks and Rec department (minus Leslie, of course) and everyone’s waiting for him to leave, but he doesn’t. He turns the key and presses his foot lightly down on the accelerator, but he doesn’t press down hard enough to move the car. “I think I’m going to stay,” he says, getting out of the car. “Yeah, I’m gonna stay and work for Chris. Okay, yeah, that’s what I’m doing!”

Ann hugs him and then so does Andy and then in the blink of an eye, it’s a group hug between him and the Parks department.

“Guys, I have to go talk to Leslie.”

They talk it out and then after a lot of discussion and promises of waffles that he intends to keep, she agrees to go to JJ’s Diner with him. She tells herself that it’s for the free waffles.

* * *

“Hey, babe,” he says, kissing Leslie on the cheek. “I found this picture earlier. It’s stupid, but I figured you might want it. And I mailed copies to Andy, April, Chris and Ann.”

He produces a crumpled picture that must of been taken at least fifteen years ago of Leslie, Ben, Chris, Ann, April and Andy all huddled around a water fountain at the old high school.

“The first time we met!” she exclaims. “I love it.”

“I look like a dork, Vice President Knope.”

“A cute dork.” She pulls him into a kiss. “Would you mind calling me that in bed tonight?”

“Sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> i like to think that leslie would of been the vice president and that somehow, andy and april would of dated in high school (even after their conversation in 6x18, prom)


End file.
